Red Wine Hedges Family Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2019. It is recommended to decant it for an hour. Hedges Family Estate is a family-owned property founded by Tom Hedges and Anne-Marie Liégeois in the heart of the Washington wine region. After thirty years, the winery can now be proud of having played a fundamental role in establishing Washington’s modern wine industry and, in particular, in the creation of the small AVA of Red Mountain. This Cabernet Sauvignon produced in the small American wine-growing area of Red Mountain, in the US state of Washington, includes an 8% of Merlot, 5% of Malbec, 3% of Cabernet Franc, 3% of Petit Verdot, and 1% of Syrah. The grapes are harvested from the Hedges, Bel ‘Villa, Jolet, Magdalena, and Les Gosses vineyards. The wine is aged for 23 months in 47% new oak barrels (74% French and 26% American). The wine shows a beautiful intense ruby color. The olfactory profile is rich and complex with aromas of wild berries, cranberry, floral notes of violets and red roses, some nuances of sweet spices, and more tobacco, sage, eucalyptus, and graphite. It is a medium-full-bodied wine, with strong tannins and an incredible balance. The delicious and long finish recalls flavors of black fruit. Enjoy it with BBQ ribs or Beef Bourguignon or a wild boar stew.
2019
Red Wine Hedges Family Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Red Wine Paolo Cottini Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore 2019. Paolo Cottini’s family have been making wine for generations, and it his father, Silvano, who taught him how to make exceptional wines from the traditional grapes grown in the Valpolicella region. Now Paolo has founded his very own winery in the heart of Valpolicella, in the tiny medieval hilltop village of Castelrotto. Paolo’s vineyards are located in the Negrar Valley at an altitude of 580 metres and in Valgatara at 250 metres of altitude. Here conditions are ideal for growing Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella grapes which reach optimal ripeness but retain freshness thanks to the altitude and warm summer days. His Ripasso Classico Superiore is made according to the time-honoured technique re-passing” the young Valpolicella wine over the used Amarone skins to add depth and an amazing concentration of flavour to the finished wine. The wine is then aged in 3000 litre casks for 15 months before bottling. The result is a heady, incredibly complex red wine bursting with layers of dried fruits, jammy plum and cherry, dark chocolate and coffee notes. On the palate there is a rich full body, firm tannins and well-built structure which will help the wine age gracefully over the next 5 years or so.
2019
Red Wine Flam Syrah Reserve 2019. Brothers Golan and Gilad Flam were inspired to found their own winery after touring some of Tuscany’s finest estates in the 1990s. Their mother, Kami, takes care of the business side of the venture while Golan is in charge of winemaking after studying in Italy and gaining valuable cellar experience in South Australia and Tuscany. The tiny boutique winery produces just 150,000 bottles per year and their wines are admired by collectors and wine critics across the globe. Their line of Reserve wines are made in an Old World style with the finest grapes harvested from the family’s Ben Zimra and Dishon vineyards in the Upper Galilee. The grapes are harvested by hand at night to preserve acidity and the delicate aromatics so they arrive in the winery in perfect condition. Following vinification the Syrah Reserve is aged in French oak barrels for 12 months and then left to mature in the bottle for an additional 10 months. Inspired by a trip to the Rhone Valley, this intense Reserve wine is reminiscent of its French cousins with an abundance of rich dark fruit and herbal hints on the nose. The first sip reveals a full body, fine tannins, and firm structure which will help this wine age beautifully in the cellar over the next decade or so. For those who prefer to enjoy it now, try pairing the wine with hearty red meat dishes like a fine steak or beef bourguignon.
2019